The MetroLink 38-mile light rail system
consists of two routes extending west and east from the St. Louis central business
distric. The first line, 17 miles (27 km) long, was opened in July 1993. A
second route, a 17-mile (27-km) extension, opened in May 2001, extending the
line further eastward into Illinois with 8 additional stations, terminating at Southwestern Illinois College. A further extension of this line north and east to
Shiloh-Scott Air Force Base opened in 2003. An additional extension to the
Mid-America Airport is presently in planning.

MetroLink currently (2006) carries
51,000-55,000 daily passengers, with annual ridership totalling about 16
million per year and 133 million annual passenger-miles - a significant
increase over 2003, when MetroLink’s ridership totalled about 15 million
annually and 124,972,600 passenger-miles, slightly more than the 122,165,700
passenger-miles carried by Metro’s 101-route bus system, and the rail system
had a lower operational cost. Current ridership is 43% higher than the
173,582,057 passenger-miles the system carried in 1993, compared with a 17%
increase in transit ridership nationwide, indicating that LRT can significantly
increase transit ridership by attracting passengers who would otherwise drive
an automobile.

A new type of public transit service,
called EmX, is being developed using specially-designed 60-foot
articulated buses with hybrid-electric propulsion. The program is being
implemented by the Lane Transit District (in central Oregon) and the Greater
Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (in central Ohio). Service is scheduled to
begin in late 2006. The system includes the following features to improve
service quality and efficiency:

Exclusive
right-of-way; guarantees travel time.

Signal priority,
giving buses priority through intersections.

At-grade
boarding, making boarding easier and quicker.

Pre-paid fares;
no fumbling with change.

Boarding at all
doors, not just the front door.

Less frequent
stops, improving travel time.

Improved
stations with amenities for customer comfort.

Park & Ride
connections.

Vehicle Image

Tram-like Quiet

Low emission
(green) Bike Capacity

Low-floor
Increased ADA capacity

Doors on both
sides Wider doors – easier access

Bangalore Metropolitan Transportation Corporation

Bangalore Metropolitan Transportation
Corporation (BMTC), an independent corporation, stands out among the Indian
State Transport Undertakings in providing efficient and diverse bus services to
meet various travel demands, while also making a profit. Prior to its
establishment in 1997, Bangalore had a limited range of bus services which were
inefficient and lost money.

BMTC has a fleet of 6138 buses. It makes
close to 80,000 bus trips every day, provides different degrees of comfort at
different prices, covers 13 lakh service kilometres and carries 47 lakh
passengers within greater Bangalore. It offers an impressive array of services
to suit the multiple demands of its customers. There are close to 4,000
ordinary bus services operating in the city. Atal Sarige is a service for
specific locations to cater to the demands of economically weaker sections of
society at half the fare of ordinary services. The Pushpak service, using about
300 buses with better upholstered seats, headrests, more leg space, etc. is
popular among corporate groups. At the high -income end, Vajra service is
provided by plying air-conditioned low-floor Volvo buses to put their service
on par with the personalised mode of transport. Volvo buses are also deployed
for Vayu Vajra service for connectivity from different locations in the city to
the Bangalore International Airport. A BIG-10 service has been introduced on 12
major traffic corridors to provide services to connect a few important places
with high frequency.

Passenger-friendly initiatives have
included the introduction of the monthly pass system with special features to
attract customers, for example, Rs 1 lakh as insurance for loss of life, Rs
20,000 towards medical treatment, etc. Monthly-pass passengers have increased
from 43,000 in 1998-99 to over 300,000 in 2011-12. Daily pass passengers in
2011-12 were also over 100,000.

Fleet modernisation, expansion and good
maintenance have played a major role in improving the quality of bus services
in Bangalore. In 1997, the corporation had 2098 buses with an average age of
seven years; the oldest bus was 20 years old. Today it has the youngest fleet
in the country with an average age of 3.9 years. Increasing the number of bus
depots to 39 and spreading their location in the city has enabled saving of
dead time and kilometres by the fleet. A system of regular pre-emptive checks
has been put in place, supplemented by a system of mobile workshops using
fast-moving small vehicles driven by mechanics. As a result, there has been a
dramatic decline in the rate of breakdowns from 0.64 per 10,000 km in 1996-97
to 0.05 in 2009-10. Safety remains a major concern as BMTC expands its scope of
activity in a city environment deficient in overall urban planning. The rate of
accidents has declined from 0.32 per lakh kilometre in 1997-98 to 0.15 in
2007-08, although the absolute number of accidents increased from 472 in
2003-04 to 578 in 2007-08 as service kilometres increased.

Financial sustainability of BMTC is ensured
by a pricing policy that has an element of cross-subsidy whereby customers
utilising higher-end services subsidise their counterparts using ordinary bus
services, and exploiting other sources of revenue. This is significant because
user charges in road transport are typically not able to cover costs and there
is always need to buttress revenue through other innovative means. While BMTC
makes a profit of Rs 50 crore, DTC (Delhi Transport Corporation) makes a huge
loss of Rs 2000 crore, its operating losses alone amounting to Rs 500 crore.

In mobilising revenue, BMTC has made
innovative investments in land (they have 1,400 acres of land) and is unlocking
its value through real estate development. In a national pilot project, BMTC
received funding under JNNURM to build 10 Traffic and Transit Management
Centres (TTMCs) in Bangalore. These centres not only provide bus terminals, bus
bays and maintenance depots but are also designed to house passenger amenities
such as Bangalore One, ATMs and shops for daily needs. Operational activity at
the bus terminals has started, but the process of tendering for commercial
activity is currently going on. There is a lot of scope for revenue
mobilisation as the project comes into full swing and the other 35 planned
TTMCs also come on board. In this season of taxes, it is worth noting that buses
do not get any favourable treatment vis-à-vis cars. In fact, excise duty on
buses has been raised from 10 per cent to 15 per cent. In addition, bus
companies have to pay 1 per cent of the ticket revenue as passenger taxes.

BMTC has used IT extensively to streamline
its operations. All operations in the depots such as ticketing, stores,
accounting etc. have been fully computerised. E-tendering is used for
procurement of goods and services, and bus route information is available
online. After experimenting with GPS-GIS for vehicle tracking and passenger
information systems on a pilot basis, BMTC is currently floating a new tender
to use GPS-GIS based system on all its services.

All BMTC bus depots are equipped with
latest the emission testing facilities. In keeping with the stipulation of the
government of India, the sulphur content in diesel use has been brought down
from 250 ppm to 50. All new buses (350) comply with the Euro IV standard, while
close to 4,000 buses are complying with the Euro III standard. BMTC pays Rs
1,000 to any person who informs them about a polluting bus plying on the roads
of Bangalore. The 4th of every month is observed as Bus Day to encourage the
citizens of Bangalore to leave their private vehicles home and use public
transport. A 10 per cent decrease in the amount of pollutants in the air has
been documented, and this is also associated with a significant decrease in the
amount of respirable suspended particulate matter as well as carbon monoxide on
the Bus Days.

Beginning with UITP Asia Pacific award for
outstanding performance in the field of affordable public transport in 2002,
BMTC has received numerous awards year after year, including the International
Gold Star Millennium Award in Bangkok in 2006-07 and the Prime Minister Civil
Service Excellence Award in 2009. The awards and the sustained good performance
of BMTC is a remarkable story to narrate. U. Tripathi, the then managing
director of BMTC, who spearheaded the reforms to bring about the transformation
of BMTC has this to say: “The great transformation story of BMTC, is a success
story of work by drivers, conductors, mechanics, and management.” He also
emphasised the role played by the late Mr Gokulram, then chairman, BMTC in
keeping the morale of the BMTC staff high in the face of stiff resistance to
reform in the initial stages.

Bangalore has grown from 531 sq km in 2001
to 800 sq km in 2007. Its population has increased from 57 lakh in 2001 to 84
lakh in 2011, while the number of registered vehicles has increased from 16
lakh to 39 lakh. Of these, 88 per cent are personal vehicles. Imagine the
plight of the city if the bus services had not shown a significant improvement!
Even with the transformation, Bangalore is notorious for its traffic jams and
congestion arising from lack of transit-oriented planning as the city grows in
area, population, and economic prosperity. But BMTC has played a major role in
addressing the challenge of public transportation.

The lessons from BMTC are being narrated
world over, and it is high time our own transport corporations took some
inspiration from what has been achieved in Bangalore.

The New York City Department of
Transportation’s Sustainable Streets Index allows the agency to
implement more performance-driven transportation policy, geared toward
achieving the sustainability, mobility, infrastructure and quality of life
goals. It provides data on recent trends in traffic, parking, travel and
safety. The 2008 index indicated that transit
had absorbed all the growth in travel between 2003 and 2007, with driving
remaining essentially flat. The 2009 report includes case studies of
street redesigns and bus improvements across the city:

·At the Bronx Hub, a major intersection redesign
added new bike and bus lanes and 15,000 square feet of pedestrian space,
leading to the lowest crash rate in a decade.

·In the Bronx, Fordham Road's Select Bus Service reduced travel times
by 19%. For the typical commuter, that adds up to two extra days of saved time
every year. As a result, weekday ridership is up 32% compared to previous
limited-stop bus service.

·The PARK Smart program raised parking
meter rates during peak hours in Greenwich Village, with the goal of opening up
on-street parking spaces and reducing cruising. The index reports that while
the occupancy rate of affected parking spaces dropped by six percent during the
week, it increased by four percent on Saturdays, suggesting that meters should
be priced higher to achieve the desired effect, since current on-street parking
remains much cheaper than off-street options.

Comparing Transit Service Performance: Sacramento and
Columbus

A study by Schumann (2005) compares transit
system performance in two similar size cities. The Sacramento Regional Transit District
(www.sacrt.com) began building a Light Rail Transit system in 1985, while the
Central Ohio Transit Authority (www.cota.com) Columbus failed in its
efforts establish a similar system in Columbus, Ohio and so only offers bus
transit. During the following 17 years, transit service and ridership increased
significantly in Sacramento, but declined in Columbus, while operating costs
per passenger-mile increased much more in Columbus than in Sacramento, as
indicated in the table below.

In addition, voters appear more willing to
support dedicated funding for transit systems that include rail transit
service. In 1988, a year after the first rail line began operations, Sacramento country voters approved a referendum which provided sales tax funding to
operate and expand the transit system. The article’s author argues that Sacramento’s first rail “starter” line gained public support for continual transit service
improvements.

Out of four Columbus area transit funding
referenda between 1986 and 1995, only one passed. As a result of funding
shortfalls the transit system has raised fares and reduced service, which helps
explain the decline in transit ridership. The author argues that, had Columbus had a rail line in the 1980s there would probably have been more support for
public transit funding, leading to a more attractive system and higher
ridership now.

Table 2 Rail
Transit Predictions Versus Ridership (CTOD 2006)

System

Prediction

Prediction Year

Most Recent Count

Date

Minneapolis, Hiawatha

24,800

2020

31,000

Aug-06

Houston, Metrorail

40,000

2020

40,000

Sep-06

Salt Lake City, Trax

34,600

2020

55,000

Oct-06

Portland, Streetcar

3,000

2001

8,800

Oct-06

San Deigo, Green Line

10,800

2015

18,455

Dec-05

St. Louis, St. Clair Ext.

13,502

2010

14,083

Nov-03

Tacoma, Link

2,000

2010

2,880

Q1

Portland, Westside
Max

27,100

2005

32,700

Oct-05

based on FTA New Starts and transit agency data

Freiburg, Germany (Pucher and Buehler 2009)

Freiburg, Germany is a city of 220,000 in
Western Germany which has significantly increased walking, cycling and public
transit travel, and reduced per capita automobile use, through a combination of
tram and bus network improvements, walking and cycling improvements and
supportive land use policies. In spite of rising per-capita income, vehicle km
of car use per capita in Freiburg declined by 7% on all roads and by 13% on
residential roads from 1990 to 2006. As a result:

·From 1992 to 2005, per capita energy consumption
and pollution emissions fell by 13.4% to a level that is 89% of the German
average and only 29% of the American average.

·Traffic fatalities are only 3.7 traffic
fatalities per 100,000 inhabitants vs. 6.5 in Germany and 14.7 in the USA.

·Public transport service requires only 10% of
its operating costs to be subsidized through government funds, compared to 28%
for Germany as a whole and 65% in the USA.

Portland, Oregon has implemented several successful transit projects including
the MAX regional rail system, Portland Streetcar, Intercity Passenger Rail, TDM
programs and the OHSU tramway. Portland’s transit agency, Tri-Met, has produced
a Community Building Sourcebook (www.trimet.org/inside/publications/sourcebook.htm) which describes many of the projects, plans, programs and
organizations that make the Portland region a national model for linking land
use and transportation initiatives. They have implemented many support
strategies, including, Walking and
Cycling Improvements, Transit Encouragement programs, and Transit Oriented Development. The cumulative effects of these improvements has been significant.
Figure 1 illustrates how per capita transit ridership increased between 1970
and 2002.

Figure 1 Annual
Transit Trips Per Capita in Portland, Oregon Region

Per capita transit ridership approximately
tripled in Portland, Oregon due to various transit improvements.

As a result of Portland’s efforts to
improve travel options and its Smart Growth land use policies, during the last
two decades Portland’s per capita average vehicle mileage has declined compared
with U.S. national trends.

Seoul, South Korea is a fast-growing Asian mega-city – its population
increased from 5.4 million inhabitants in 1970 to over 10 million today, with
20 million in the metropolitan area. During this period the number of motor vehicles
has increased by 46 times to nearly 3 million vehicles, causing severe traffic
congestion, public health and pollution problems. To help solve these problems,
beginning in 2002 Mayor Lee Myung-Bak and his team at the Seoul Development
Institute embarked on a variety of transportation and land use innovations
improve mobility alternatives and reduce private motorized trips. In July 2004
the city launched a new Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system that has dramatically
improved the quality of public transport. Over 76 kilometers of median busways
were constructed in 2004 (with a plan to expand this to 162.4 kilometers). Over
5,000 buses have installed GPS tracking technology to ensure improved customer
service, and 815 buses have been converted to operate on natural gas. A smart
card system is utilized to allow free transfers to different transit services.

A single BRT lane
carries six times more persons than a mixed traffic lane. Travel times along
the BRT corridors have been reduced by a factor of five. This led to an 11%
increase in public transport use and a 27% reduction in traffic accidents
during its first year of operation.

MetroBus, Mexico City’s Bus Rapid Transit system, established June
2005, transports an average of 250,000 passengers a day during the week through
36 stations on Insurgentes Avenue, the city’s longest street. The system had
replaced 350 older microbuses with 97 brand new articulated diesel buses that
have eliminated over 35,000 tons of greenhouse gases and reduced passenger
exposure to tailpipe emissions by 23-59%, according to recent studies by the
Mexico City-based Center for Sustainable Transport/EMBARQ. The system has also
managed to reduce travel time by an average of 33% as well as decrease
accidents by 30%.

Another factor
that distinguishes the MetroBus system from others is its flat fare. Passengers
now pay $3.50 pesos (about $0.30 USD) per trip regardless of how far they
travel, a departure from the previous distance-based system.

These positive
changes have not gone unnoticed by passengers. In a poll also fielded by
CTS/EMBARQ, MetroBus passengers gave the system an average approval rating of
8.2 out of 10, and 6% of passengers reported having switched from using cars
since MetroBus was opened.

Perhaps the
project’s most important accomplishment is the discussion it has spurred
throughout the city about the need to invest in high quality public transport.
Newly elected mayor Marcelo Ebrard has promised that his administration will
build ten more MetroBus lines during his term.

Public Transport Policy Reforms (PPIAF 2006)

The Urban Bus Toolkit includes numerous case
studies of public transit policy reforms. These include key documents, such as
contracts between transport authorities and bus operators.

A study of Orenco Station, a
suburban New Urbanist community on Portland’s Westside MAX light rail line
indicates high rates of transit use and other “smart growth” goals. Researcher
Dr. Bruce Podobnik of Lewis
and Clark College asked residents various questions
about life in the community, five years after its founding. Twenty-two percent
of residents reported using light rail or the bus to commute to work or school
- far higher than the 5% average for the region. Sixty-nine percent of
residents reported that they use public transit more often than they did in
their previous community. G.B. Arrington, a public transit expert, describes
these numbers as “totally off the charts for conventional suburban
development,” and notes, “the fact that many residents can walk or take very short
trips is very significant.”

Ninety-four
percent said that they find the community’s New Urbanist design superior to
typical suburban communities. Podobnik believes the Town Center is an important
part of the community’s success. He notes that 70% of residents say they shop
in the Town Center's grocery store or other businesses at least once a week.
Orenco Station’s tree-lined streets and public spaces also seem to facilitate
social interaction among neighbors. Seventy-eight percent of residents state that
there is a higher sense of community than in their previous neighborhood, and
40% reported participating in neighborhood activities. Residents were asked to
name up to three things they like and dislike about the community. Residents
said they liked the “overall design’ (13%), greenspaces and parks (12%), Town Center (10%), garages on alleys (9%), pedestrian-friendly streets (6%), and access to
light rail (5%). Features residents dislike included “none” (20%), “dog
problems” (11%), and “traffic problems outside Orenco” (8%).

The Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG) succeeded in increasing
its revenue more than 22% in three years by restructuring the transportation
network as part of an integrated marketing strategy (Reinhold
and Kearney 2008). Traffic simulations
demonstrated that improving frequency on the main lines could shorten travel
times and attract many new customers to public transportation. In addition,
lines outside the core network with little utilization were identified where
service could be reduced to achieve significant cost savings with only a slight
decline in the number of passengers. In 2004, new premium products, the
MetroBus and MetroTram, were introduced; in 2006, their services were improved
yet further. Today, the MetroBus and MetroTram run on the 26 most important
lines (in addition to the subway), 24 hours a day at very short intervals. They
are intensively marketed, and customers can understand the Metro network almost
as well as they can the subway network. The new MetroBus and MetroTram products
have achieved great success, with passenger volume on some lines rising by more
than 30 percent. Overall, the BVG has gained more than 21 million new trips per
year and reduced its annual operating costs by more than 9.5 million euros.

The 2004 Summer
Olympics in Athens, Greece left a legacy of improved public transit service and
reduced congestion in a city that had previously suffered from significant
automobile traffic problems.

All venues were
designed to be served exclusively by mass transportation. Special attention was
given to improve public transport. Furthermore, residents were urged to use
public transport for general travel during the games. Besides the measures to
discourage the use of private cars, such as the parking control zones mentioned
later in this feature, special express bus lines to the venues were introduced
and the frequency of selected existing bus lines was increased.

In addition,
two new fixed rail systems were introduced: a tramway connecting

the western
coast to the center and a suburban railroad to the airport. The existing new
metro lines were extended. The old metro line, connecting the Piraeus Port and the city center to the major Athens Olympic Sports Complex was improved
considerably (in terms of capacity, stations, etc.).

To avoid the
future effects of increasing car ownership, Athenians are trying to make the
best use of this new transportation infrastructure to reduce the use of
passenger cars. The number of annual trips per inhabitant by public transport, which
declined from a maximum of 480 in 1965 to a low of 140 around 1990, has increased
since then to more than 200. The government should help this effort by
continuing to improve public transport, providing park and ride areas, enforcing
illegal parking prohibition and conducting related transportation campaigns. The
experience gained in the traffic management effort during the games is being
used to fully utilize the increased capacity of the improved transportation
infrastructure.

Arlington County, adjacent to Washington DC, is one of the most successful examples in the U.S. of Transit-Oriented Development. Nearly 18,000 residential units and more
than 46 million square feet of office and retail space have been built during
the last two decades. This type of development would not be possible without
the Metrorail transit system. Prior to the development of this system the
Rosslyn-Ballstron corridor was an aging, low-density commercial stretch with
declining commercial activity. To help support the areas economic development County leaders insisted that Metro be built underground rather than in the
freeway medians.

In return, the County channeled nearly all
development along the Metrorail lines. It promoted high-density development
adjacent and above rail stations, with relatively high density housing within
convenient walking distance. Development follows a Bulls Eye pattern,
with the greatest density around the rail station, where there are high-rise
commercial and residential buildings (up to 20 stories), which declines with
distance away from the center, into medium-density residential (apartments,
duplexes and townhouses), and then into two-story single-family neighborhoods
established prior to 1960. The areas General Land Use Plan (GLUP) has been
adjusted as needed to allow additional development in the center while
preserving older, established residential neighborhoods and historic buildings.

Despite population and employment growth,
traffic volumes on local roads has increased little, and the area has far less
commuter parking than would normally be required, due to high levels of transit
ridership (most transit riders get to the rail station by foot, bicycle or
bus), frequent local bus service, excellent walking and cycling conditions, and
mixed land use that locates so many activities close together, minimizing the
need to drive. As a result, the County has grown rapidly without major
expansion of the highway network or parking facilities, while maintaining low
tax rates. The Metrorail corridors provide 50% of the County’s tax base on only
7% of the land. The area enjoys low vacancy rates and higher lease and sale prices
than otherwise comparable locations. Transit ridership has grown steadily.
Mixed land use has resulted in relatively balanced ridership over the day,
rather than two sharp peaks experienced on some systems.

The area also has aggressive Transportation
Demand Management programs implemented by local governments, employers,
developers, transit agencies, a local Transportation Management Association
(TMA), and residents to encourage efficient travel behavior (Table 3). Performance
guarantees and fines are applied if developers fail to implement required
programs.

This table indicates the TDM program measures
required for development. Requirements vary depending on the location and size
of development and whether it is forecast to cause significant traffic
problems.

A survey performed in 2000 found that
worksites that had TDM programs generated 1.97 vehicle trips per 1,000 square
feet of gross floor area, about 10% less than the 2.17 vehicle trips generated
at worksites that lack such programs (which is itself a low generation rate).
The area also has between half and a quarter of the parking supply as would be
required at an automobile-oriented development (buildings in the area have 1 to
2 parking spaces per 1,000 square feet of gross floor area, compared with the 3
to 4 spaces normally required), providing huge cost savings and allowing
greater design flexibility and development density.

Starting in 1989, the city of Boulder, Colorado began implementing a demonstration transit service using a fleet of
small, colorfully designed buses to provide high frequency, inexpensive and
direct service within the city. And thus, the first Community Transit Network
bus, the HOP, was born. Today, there are six bus routes in the Community Transit
Network — HOP, SKIP, JUMP, BOUND, DASH and STAMPEDE. All have a unique identity
and amenities shaped with community input and direction. In 1990, Transit
ridership was about 5,000 riders daily for all local and regional routes in and
out of Boulder. In 2002, ridership averaged about 26,000 daily, a 500%
increase. The city of Boulder is partnering with the city of Longmont and Boulder County to add another high-frequency bus route on Highway 119, scheduled to begin
in 2004.

Benefits of the Community Transit Network:

1.Provides a convenient transit alternative to the single occupancy
vehicle.

2.Uses neighborhood-scaled vehicles to fit the context of Boulder.

3.Strengthens the local economy by providing easy access around Boulder and to and from surrounding communities.

4.Provides wheelchair accessible transportation.

5.Reduces air pollution by using clean-burning fuels.

6.Alleviates traffic congestion and minimizes the need for roadway
expansion.

7.Provides reliable, high frequency service.

8.Operates clean, comfortable, human-scaled vehicles, with special
amenities such as music.

10.Accepts Eco Passes (transit passes for students and residents of
certain neighborhoods).

11.Includes bike racks, holding two bikes at one time, allow for
integration of travel.

In November, 2000,
residents of the Forest Glen neighborhood in the city of Boulder voted to form
a General Improvement District (GID) to provide RTD transit passes for all
neighborhood residents. All Forest Glen residents are eligible to receive an RTD Eco Pass, including home owners and renters. These passes are paid for by residents in
the Forest Glen as part of their annual property tax. The RTD Eco Pass allows unlimited riding on all RTD buses, Light Rail service to Denver International Airport, and Eldora Mountain Resort buses.

The Truth
About Cars & Trucks: Reinventing Our Wheels

The Ottawa
Citizen, Thu 31 May
2001, by Paul McKay

What
taxpayer-funded product usually arrives on time, but is empty so often it
burns money for nothing? That would be the diesel-belching, 12-metre “loser
cruiser” that lumbers -- by the relentless hour, day, week, month and year –
through the suburbs of Ottawa, Vancouver, Toronto, Denver, Dallas and hundreds
of other North American cities. Most of the time, they chug past bus stops
where few passengers get on or off.

In cities such
as Ottawa and Vancouver, public transit accounts for only 15 per cent of
rush-hour passenger trips. In outlying cities like Cumberland or Coquitlam,
peak bus ridership is a dismal five per cent of passenger trips. Outside of
rush hour, riders are so scarce they drop off the radar screen of transit
agencies apparently resigned to running buses at a huge loss. Forever.

It’s no secret
where those missing riders are: Usually driving alone, in the cars that are
clogging every major city on the continent. They may not know it, but those
solo drivers are paying for the worst of both worlds. Out of one pocket, they
annually pay an average of $9,000 to own, operate and maintain private
vehicles that are besieged by gridlock. The No. 1 cause? Other solo drivers.
From the other pocket, their taxes help pay for city transit agencies that
own, operate and maintain the 20-tonne buses often carrying little more than
the bus driver and air. Perversely, in the rare times these buses are full,
they are often brought to a halt by commuter cars carrying those who
subsidize them.

Empty buses.
Empty cars. Overloaded roads. Paying twice for less and less mobility. Has no
one found a way out of this mess? Yes. One of them would be Bob Whitson, an
engineer with a Texas twang and wry wit who heads up what could be the most
successful city transit system on the continent. He works for the city of Boulder, an hour’s drive northwest of Denver, where 100,000 residents live, study and work
in the spectacular shadow of the Colorado Rockies. And 60,000 of them have
city bus passes.

In the world of
public transit, that ratio is astounding. No other city in North America
comes even close. Mr. Whitson says the reason is simple: “The riders chose
their bus service. It was not chosen for them.”

He means that
literally. In Boulder, riders choose the size of buses (40-footers are
dismissed as “diesel dinosaurs”), the design, the seating plans and
upholstery, the size and tinting of windows and options like hanger straps
and bike racks. The drivers get to choose their uniforms and the music for an
on-board CD player. Most important, Boulder riders help choose the routes and
pickup spots. So buses come to them, usually in 10 minutes or less. How is
that possible? By scrapping the mindset that has failed to fill suburban
buses for half a century.

“We are outside
the mainstream of public transit thinking,” Mr. Whitson says with a renegade
grin. “No one here has ever studied transit. We’ve learned everything on our
own. When I go to national public transit conferences, they all talk about
bus maintenance, the latest in diesel fuels, how windshield wipers work and
counting every nickel that goes in the fare box. They never talk about the
customer. Here we ask people -- in their homes, schools, where they work, at
the gym -- what they want. We listen very carefully, then go out and try to
get it for them.”

The number and
range of car-to-bus converts is unheard of. At the University of Colorado campus in Boulder, 26,000 students voted to add $15 to their tuition fees every
semester for an unlimited bus pass. It takes them anywhere in the city,
virtually anytime. Or to downtown Denver, the closest ski resort or Denver’s international airport (which costs a non-pass holder $44 for a round-trip
shuttle).

Those bulk
passes let Boulder bus planners know, in advance, exactly how many riders
they will have, and when and where buses should be routed to connect the
campus, residences, major malls, even downtown bars on weekends. A student
photo ID eliminates the need to feed fare-boxes and have exact change. In
fact, the fare-box is the college administration office, which collects the bulk
fares three times a year and promptly hands the money over to the Boulder bus operator.

That simple,
unorthodox formula also works for the Boulder downtown merchants, the city’s
main hospital and several major employers. For instance, the municipal group
that collects downtown Boulder parking fees uses a portion of that revenue to
buy annual bus passes for 6,000 city core employees. The Chamber of Commerce
followed suit, adding $50 per year to its member fees.

The employees
love it because they get to commute for free, don’t have to find or pay for
downtown parking and can use the bus pass to shop on Saturday or get to a
Broncos game on Sunday. The merchants love it because it frees up scarce
parking spots for shoppers. And the bus company loves it because it gets
paid, in one advance shot, for a year of servicing predictable, high-use
routes. The next target for Mr. Whitson and his Go Boulder staff were private
companies with hundreds of employees. Successful pitches led several to sign
contracts, pledging an average of $50 per employee for annual, unlimited
transit passes. With up-front payments and predictable riders, that allowed
the bus company to plan the most effective routes to and from those
workplaces.

A key feature is
the “safe ride home” promise. By pooling $2 from each $50 pass, the bus
company arranged with city taxis to pick up, at no extra cost to the
employee, anyone in the office who needs an emergency ride or one after bus
operating hours. The same deal applies to all 1,200 employees of the city
hospital. Nurses on shifts especially welcomed the low-cost, flexible
service.

Next came
residential neighbourhoods. So far, Mr. Whitson’s Go Boulder group has
persuaded 15 community groups to sign annual contracts pledging a minimum of
$5,000 for annual bus passes. That buys a photo ID and unlimited bus use, for
all members of each household in the neighbourhood block. Some of the keenest
riders are kids -- including teenagers who wouldn’t normally be caught dead
riding a “loser cruiser.”

Mr. Whitson says
that’s because “they figured out pretty quickly that it gives them total
freedom. They know there will be a bus every 10 minutes. They don’t have to
worry about schedules or fares or exact change or how many trips they can
take.” Mr. Whitson proudly notes that even primary school kids get to help
design the outside bus markings, which boldly announce that a circular route
“Hop,” “Skip” or “Jump” bus is arriving. The nicknames are painted in huge
letters and surrounded by cute rabbits and grasshoppers. “It lets our
youngest riders know exactly which bus to take, and their parents feel safe
about letting them take a bus to sports practice or music lessons,” says Mr.
Whitson. “We’re also instilling a culture. Those kids are going to be our
riders 20 years from now.”

Another novel
tactic is a Boulder city bylaw that requires developers of new residential
subdivisions to buy each household three years’ worth of unlimited transit
passes, at an average cost of $50 each. After the third year, the residents
can either drop the deal or pay the same amount through their local
residents’ or apartment association. There is virtually no attrition on any
of these ridership programs. Take-up on the bus passes (average annual cost
of $50 each) has increased from 4,000 to 60,000 since 1994.

Meanwhile,
traffic congestion has not increased despite a boom in area housing and
employment. “These initiatives are driven by concern about congestion and the
worry of businesses that they can’t get their employees to and from work
efficiently, or from businesses that want people to shop and are worried
people will get blocked out by congestion,” says Mr. Whitson. “That’s our
main motivator. That’s where we measure our success: Have we maintained
congestion levels at 1994, even with the big growth in jobs and some housing?
We have.”

Public transit
is a baseline, essential service, notes Mr. Whitson. “No city in North America is going to scrap its system. It is already there, already being paid for and
subsidized. Our thinking here is: Since the buses are going to be running
anyway, let’s make sure they are not empty. So our bus pass is designed like
group medical insurance, except it’s for transit. The cost is based on an
average. Everybody has to pay. Some use it a lot; some don’t. Those who don’t
help pay for those who do. But everybody has the choice to use their
unlimited bus pass.”

Commuter Transit Catching on in Phoenix

Bob Golfen, The
Arizona Republic, 14 July 2004

Whether they're
saving money on gas or reducing commuter stress, thousands of commuters have
embraced Valley Metro's RAPID bus service since it began last year. Using
specially built buses with padded, high-back seats; individual air controls;
and luggage racks, four Phoenix bus routes take passengers on non-stop,
rush-hour freeway rides from the edges of the city to downtown on weekdays.

RAPID celebrates
its first anniversary today with a growing ridership and generally positive
results from a recent Valley Metro survey of riders. "I save $75 a month
on gas and I save myself the stress of dangerous driving habits from other
drivers," wrote RAPID rider John Walradt of northeast Phoenix in his
survey response.

Opening day was
inauspicious, with the first run from the Park and Ride at Bell Road and Arizona 51 carrying just two riders. A couple of hundred people tried RAPID during the
course of the day. Now, RAPID counts more than 2,600 passenger boardings.

"We didn't
think we would have so many people so soon," said Marie Chappell,
spokeswoman for Valley Metro, which operates the bus service in conjunction
with Phoenix Public Transit.

RAPID was
instituted as part of the Phoenix Transit Plan, passed by voters in March 2000.
Fifty-six distinctive-looking buses built for freeway travel were purchased
through the funding, and eight Park and Ride lots were built. The service
started with two routes, a northeast Phoenix line that uses Arizona 51 and an
Ahwatukee route that runs up Interstate 10. Two more routes have been added, a
north Phoenix route that operates on Interstate 17 and a west Phoenix route on
I-10. Each route includes about a dozen closely spaced bus trips designed to
get people to work on time in the morning and take them home at night. Valley
Metro hopes to expand the service to other areas.

Many riders
consider RAPID to be the executive bus line, compared with the regular
public-transit buses that ply city streets. "It's a lot faster, a lot more
comfortable and has a lot higher clientele," said Kevin Gray of north Phoenix, who has been riding RAPID since November. "There are a lot of professional
people on the bus."

Gray, who gets a
ride from his wife to the Bell Road and Arizona 51 stop, said the trip takes
about a half-hour to arrive at the Central Avenue and Van Buren Street
terminal. That bus makes a subsequent stop at the Arizona Capitol.

As part of RAPID's
first anniversary, Valley Metro has produced four publications, one for each
route, that will be handed out to riders. Each flier, which looks like a
tabloid newspaper, includes stories about drivers and riders, survey results
and route information. One of the vignettes in the Ahwatukee route publication
tells how Burt Jorgensen, chief of the Maricopa County Attorney's Trial Bureau,
uses RAPID not only to save on gas but to save on the cost of an automobile.
His 16-year-old daughter drives him to the Park and Ride at 40th Street and Pecos Road in the morning and gets to keep the car. "She is able to have the car during
the day, and I didn't have to buy her one," Jorgensen said.

Vibrant public
transport systems can be achieved alongside high car ownership, according to a
pan-European study which found wide variations in practice and performance
across Europe. The research found beacons of public transport success in Munich, Barcelona, Stuttgart, Graz (in Austria) and Achterhoek in the Netherlands. And it says the use of buses, trains and cycles has grown over the past two decades in
most European countries – even as car ownership has accelerated.

The work was
carried out for the UK Commission for Integrated Transport, an independent body
set up by the government in 1998 to help rescue Britain’s failing transport
network. It identified three secrets of success in the cities studied, but
emphasised that integration is the key:

First, public
transport strategies must be co-ordinated across the different modes, rather
than allowing buses, trams and trains to compete with each other. The report
cites Munich, where public transport being used for 25% of all trips across the
whole metropolitan area, compared with 12% in Glasgow.

Second, finance
and policy-making needs to be integrated, preferably at a regional level,
bringing together land use, transport planning and public finance.

Finally, streets
in urban areas need to be reclaimed from the dominance of the car, providing
space for all uses rather than concentrating on auto mobility.

The research found
wide variations in transport indicators across the continent. Congestion was
worst in Britain, where almost a quarter of the most popular roads experience
delays of at least an hour. There are no such traffic jams in Denmark, Sweden, Luxembourg or Finland, while only 8% of roads in Germany suffer such congestion,
and only 5% in France.

Car ownership is
not the most critical factor in congestion. Luxembourg, Italy and Germany have the highest car ownership rates in the European Union. But British people make
more use of cars than in any other European country, so that only Spain has more intensively used roads (measured as vehicle kilometres per kilometre of
road).

Investment in
public transport is crucial to building a quality network, and that also varies
widely. Expressed as a percentage of GDP, Luxembourg, Italy and Portugal have been the highest spenders, while Greece, Finland and Denmark have been laggards. Subsidies also vary widely. In Austria almost two-thirds of bus company
income comes from public subsidies. At the other end of the scale, in the UK, the subsidy is only a third.

Fewer Vehicles on Road as People Opt for Transit in Vancouver

Chris Johnson, Vancouver Sun, August 30, 2004

The number of
vehicles in the city of Vancouver has dipped slightly for the first time after
a steady increase over a decade, according to Insurance Corporation of British
Columbia (ICBC) statistics. The numbers are also leveling off in suburbs long
considered car country, where parents are often chauffeurs taking kids to
schools and shopping malls.

Experts and local
officials say the pattern is a result of high gas prices, increased transit
services, eco-friendly lifestyle changes, and a demographic shift of younger
people moving out of parents' homes in the suburbs to live in apartments
downtown, where they can walk to work. "There are some fundamental changes
going on," says David Baxter of the research firm Urban Futures.
"It's increasingly possible to live in Vancouver without a motor
vehicle."

In the city of
Vancouver, where the population has stabilized in recent years despite a
construction boom, the number of registered vehicles dropped by about 1,500 to
304,981, according to ICBC statistics for the period ending Jan. 31 this year.
The number had grown by 50,000 between 1994 and 2003. Small decreases were also
recorded in New Westminster (down 280) and White Rock (down about 180).

For the Greater
Vancouver region, which includes growing populations in Port Coquitlam, Surrey
and other municipalities, the number of vehicles rose by only about 17,000, to
1.28 million, after the region had gained about 300,000 vehicles since 1994.

Experts and
officials interpret the data differently. But they agree that commuters are
increasingly finding other ways to get to work. TransLink says ridership across
Greater Vancouver on buses, SeaBuses and the SkyTrain rose by 9.5% in the first
half of this year compared to the same period last year, and was 24.6% higher
than 2002.

Numbers rose by 11.1% for buses, 5.4% for
the SkyTrain, 5.5% for SeaBuses, and 6% for the West Coast Express. Three times
more people used buses (with 100.9 million boardings) than SkyTrains (with 32.4
million). Baxter says many people, including himself, own a car but only for
weekend use. "At a buck a litre [for gasoline], I'm going to take
transit," he says.

Others, such as
Vern Bethel, a guru of vintage cars at False Creek Automotive, says the younger
generation doesn't value cars as much as their parents did. "It [the love
of cars] is decreasing because of pressures, such as lack of space, storage
expenses, gas and insurance. Even my own kids aren't as oriented toward cars as
I was."

TransLink
communications director Ken Hardie says commuters are switching to rapid
transit because of new factors such as bicycles being allowed on SkyTrains, and
the $20 monthly U-Passes for about 60,000 university students.

He points to a
customer survey showing that 42% of riders on the SkyTrain, 49% on the West
Coast Express, 35% on the 99B bus route and 25% on the 98B route switched from
going to work by car. "The numbers show that demand for public transit
continues to grow in response to the significant expansion of services
TransLink has introduced since it took over the system five years ago,"
TransLink chair Doug McCallum said in a press release.

Numbers are harder
to find for bicycles, which don't require licensing and insurance. Richard
Campbell, director of Better Environmentally Sound Transportation, a bicycle
activist group, says Vancouver has the highest level of cycling in North
America after Ottawa for regions of more than 900,000 people. "I know that
in Kitsilano and downtown that a lot more people are walking and cycling than
ever before."

He says about one
in 10 ride their bikes to work in Kitsilano, while the number was only about
1.9% in the Greater Vancouver Regional District, based on 2001 census figures.
But he says even the car-conscious suburbs are introducing more bike lanes.
"Almost every municipality is making some improvements."

Others often
overlooked by number-crunchers are those commuting by "two- stroke
Cadillac" -- walking. Marcella Racakova, a 29-year-old accountant at Byrne
and Associates, said she had enough of high insurance bills and problems
parking at work near Lonsdale Quay. "I sold the car and now I walk about
15 to 20 minutes to work." Downtown, about 28% of residents walk to work,
says Hardie. He says 42% of people coming into the downtown core arrive on mass
transit, while fewer people -- only 47% -- are coming into the area by car.

That's little
comfort to someone trying to find a parking spot downtown. But at the University of B.C., the U-Pass did help to reduce the demand for parking by 21% last year,
says Hardie. TransLink will add more services next month to head off the
"crush conditions" on buses headed for UBC and Simon Fraser University, says Hardie.

The 99U line will
run non-stop every six minutes from SkyTrain's Commercial station to UBC, in
addition to the 99B articulated buses that run the same route every four
minutes. TransLink will also introduce the first "short- turn 99B"
line between Main Street and UBC, to pick up passengers who can't get on buses
that fill up at Commercial.

TransLink's press
release noted that its three-year plan calls for $1 billion investment from
2005 through 2007, including 228 new trolleys and construction work on the RAV
(Richmond-Airport-Vancouver) and northeast sector rapid transit lines.
TransLink is also ordering 190 more buses to add to the recent delivery of 95
new buses.

TransLink says
strong growth in suburbia has put more commuters on public transit, especially
around the Millennium Line, where many employers provide a discounted pass to
workers. TransLink says 9,300 people use theses passes, up 55% since 2002.

But the number of
boardings at the Millennium Line's Sapperton station, for example, was still
only a quarter of the figure at King George station on the much older Expo
Line, according to TransLink. The busiest SkyTrain stations were Metrotown
(with three million boardings) followed by Granville, Lougheed Town Centre,
Burrard, Joyce-Collingwood, Commercial, Broadway, Main Street/Science World,
Stadium, and New Westminster.

Aspen,
Colorado, a world-famous
resort, was plagued with traffic congestion and a parking shortage until various
mobility management strategies were implemented starting in 1992. A “carrot and
stick” approach is the only way to convince people to leave their cars at home,
or at least outside the business district, according to Gary Gleason, Marketing
Director of the Roaring Fork Transit Agency (RFTA). An inexpensive
demand-response van service and a free shuttle from outlying park-and-ride
facilities were introduced at the same time as parking fees were instituted to
manage downtown parking and encourage use of alternative modes. Commuter bus
service was also expanded. The response has been overwhelmingly positive,
resulting in a substantial increase in transit ridership.

Aspen’s
full-time population of Aspen is only 6,000, but it expands to as many as
30,000 during the winter months. In addition, 60% of Aspen workers live outside
the city, primarily because of very high housing costs, and the full-time
population in the entire Roaring Fork River Valley has expanded to 30,000 in
recent years. To serve this large commuter population, the RFTA provides bus
service along Highway 82, the corridor through the Roaring Fork River Valley—the only means of entering Aspen for most of the year. The parking fee
program was intended to encourage even more of these commuters to take the bus.
A new parking lot at the airport outside of town, serviced by another free
shuttle, was also built to encourage both commuters and visitors to leave their
cars outside of Aspen.

The pay-for-parking program, free shuttle buses, and
other proposals for reducing congestion grew out of the Aspen Area Community
Plan (AACP). Developing transportation alternatives was an im-portant theme of
the AACP, a document intended to “revive the vitality that previously
characterized Aspen,” while developing “a livable environment for the
community’s residents, employees, and visitors.” The AACP published in 1993,
was the result of a 2-year, community-based process, led by citizen task forces
and professional consultants. Along with action plans to revitalize the
permanent resident community by providing more affordable housing, promote
sustainable development and maintain design quality, Aspen residents expressed
the need, in the AACP’s “Transportation Action Plan,” to provide transportation
alternatives in order to reduce their dependency on automobiles. The increase
in commuter traffic caused by the displacement of the workforce was described
in the AACP as “degrading both the air quality and the quality of life for both
residents and visitors.” The Transportation Action Plan proposed detailed
solutions that would do the following:

• Limit vehicle trips into Aspen.

• Provide efficient valley-wide mass transit.

• Alter land-use patterns.

• Move people within and around the city
without automobiles.

• Create a less congested downtown.

• Enhance pedestrian mobility.

• Improve bikeways.

• Provide practical car storage facilities
on the out-skirts of town.

The developers of the Transportation Action Plan
recognized that locals and visitors alike would only take advantage of the
parking facilities outside of town if mobility within town, through frequent,
accessible shuttle services, was enhanced. Likewise, the transit service would
only be used if drivers were discouraged from bringing their cars into town.
Thus, each component of the Transportation Action Plan was dependent on the
implementation of the other components.

With the help of a
new grant from the Federal Transit Administration, Capital Metro now offers a
new reverse commute shuttle and expanded Night Owl routes and services
designed to help late night workers more efficiently commute to and from work.
The Job Access and Reverse Commute (JARC) grants totaling $2.9 million, have
allowed Capital Metro to develop five new routes: one circulator, one reverse
commute and three new Night Owl routes. All the new routes and services began
on Monday, January 30, 2006, and are designed to take low income workers to
their jobs and help residents in urban areas commute to rural and suburban
employment centers. Reverse commute service addresses the transportation needs
of shift employers and employees in suburban job sites in Northeast Austin at
Tech Ridge.

"Capital
Metro is pleased to be able to respond to a transportation need within the
community," said Rob Smith, Capital Metro's Director of Strategic Planning
and Development."Getting people to and from work is something we're proud
to do and now we have the means to provide this service to late night and early
morning workers who have not always had available transit options."

"One of the
most significant barriers to finding and maintaining employment is lack of
transportation," said Fred Butler, Executive Director of the Community
Action Network. "By engaging in the Job Access and Reverse Commute program
and expanding their services, Capital Metro is providing a critical service to
help employers retain their workforce, employees find and keep their jobs, and
the community curb unemployment rates."

Economic Returns (EDRG,
2007)

EDRG (2007) used quantitative analysis to
estimate that the current Chicago region transit plan provides an estimated 21%
annual return on investments, an enhanced plan provides a 34% return, and
adopting Transit-Oriented Development, as proposed in the region’s official
comprehensive plan, would increase the return to 61%. Failure to maintain the
transit system will harm the region’s commuters and the economy, estimated at
over $2 billion annually.

Hasselt, Belgium Reduces Automobile Travel With Free Transit

(CNN, 2000) 68,000 people live in the Belgium town of Hasselt; another 200,000 people commute in and out every day. Faced with rising debt
and traffic congestion, the mayor decided to abandon plans to build a third
ring road around the town. Instead, he closed one of the two existing ring
roads, planted trees in its place, laid more pedestrian walkways and cycle
tracks, increased the frequency and quality of the bus service, and announced
that public transport would be free of charge.

A year later the use of public transport has increased
by a staggering 800%. The merchants are happy because business has increased;
there are fewer accidents, fewer road casualties and there has been an increase
in social activity. The same day that the town made the buses free, they also
slashed local taxes – the habitants of Hasselt are now paying less than they
were 10 years ago. More people are attracted to Hasselt because it is easier to
get there, and the extra income has reduced the local taxes. Free buses were a
cheaper alternative, and it worked. The city had been slowly losing population,
but since the new measures were adopted, the population has been rising 25
times faster than it was shrinking. Hasselt has been showered with international
awards and prizes for the innovative way it has tackled congestion and
pollution.

riding light rail to work in downtown Minneapolis. "It seems a little more predictable and regular than the bus," he
said...there is always another one coming."

Healy, of south Minneapolis, is a new breed
of transit rider -- willing to

take trains, but rarely, if ever, climbing
aboard a bus. A 2004 survey found that 40 percent of Hiawatha's riders are like
Healy -- not bus riders before train service began.

This preference for rail largely explains
why the Hiawatha ridership is exceeding projections. Preconstruction
predictions did not factor in positive attitudes toward the train. The Hiawatha
ridership is 65 percent higher than predicted. In October, an estimated 742,000
riders used the line.

Rail's smooth ride and consistent schedule
make it appealing to riders who would not consider the bus. The permanence of
the track and the frequency of service make it easy to use without knowing a
schedule. Within one year, light rail has emerged as the single busiest transit
line in the metro area. It's ahead of the No. 1 bus line, Route 5, linking
Brookdale, downtown Minneapolis and the Mall of America, according to Metro
Transit.

What Converts Like

The train made a transit convert of
Jennifer Johnson of south Minneapolis, who said she and her husband never went
downtown before the rail line opened. Now they go twice a month on the
Hiawatha. "It's quick, it's clean, it's safe and little kids love the
train," said Johnson, who had her child in tow.

Mesaba Airlines flight attendant Cara Cobb,
from Detroit, said it was the quick, direct rail service that prompted her to
take the train from the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport to the Mall of America during a break from work. "It was cheap and it was fun and
we didn't have to wait long," she said. Had she ever taken a bus to the
mall? Cobb shrugged. "I don't know where you get a bus at the
airport."

Warren Nordley, a Burnsville retiree, drove
up to Bloomington to catch the train to a class at the University of Minnesota. "I personally enjoy it," he said. "I feel it is a much more pleasant
way to go than the bus. The big open windows -- it's just a more pleasant
feeling. And you are totally immune to the traffic."

Nordley said he believes that men in
general find the bus "beneath their dignity -- it's just not classy
enough." As a transit advocate, he does not share that attitude. He
prefers the train, but "either bus or train are far superior to driving
your car."

Repercussions for the Future

The Metropolitan Council based its
rail-rider predictions on bus-rider behavior. Wary of overstated ridership, the
Federal Transit Administration discouraged even a 25 percent padding for rail
preference, said Natalio Diaz, director of transportation planning for the Met
Council.

"Now we have real numbers from
observed behavior," Diaz said. "About 40 percent of the riders are
people who were not using the bus. That is a huge amount."

Officials have spent more than a year
correcting the metro area's forecasting methods to better reflect rail's
appeal. This change could be important for ridership predictions on a proposed
central corridor rail line along University Avenue linking St. Paul and Minneapolis. An upcoming environmental impact statement will compare the pros and cons of a
rail line with bus rapid transit. Ridership will be central to that comparison
and a key part of the choice between rail or bus, Diaz said.

A rider survey conducted by the Delaware
Valley Regional Planning Commission found that the Port Authority Transit
Corporation (PATCO) “Speedline” rail transit service (a heavy, fully
grade-separated rapid transit system) carries 47% of New Jersey business
commuters and 58% of Camden County business commuters who work in Center City
Philadelphia. In other words, approximately half of New Jersey business
commuters travelling into Center City Philadelphia are relying on a relatively
new (opened in 1969) public transit facility.

·Restraint of parking and reallocation of road
space to more sustainable modes.

·Long-term planning and implementation of these
policies. To be effective, these polices must be in place for a long time (a
decade or more), which implies consistent political consensus on their
efficacy.

·Adequate
regulation of bus transit systems; the most successful systems are run on a
franchised (quality contract-type) basis.

Over the last 20 year, Chattanooga, Tennessee has redeveloped its once-depressed downtown to become a major commercial and
tourist center that attracts millions of visitors a year. This evaluated out of
three decades of community planning that emphasize citizen involvement, local
environmental quality and strategic investments.

Concerned about
the impacts that pollution was causing on local economy, the Chattanooga
Chamber of Commerce created a Air Pollution Control Board in 1967. The board
included a diversity group of business leaders and citizens. It established a
1972 deadline for all existing major sources of pollution to be in compliance
with emission standards, which was met at a cost of $40 million. National and
international attention was focused on a city that in three years had changed
from the most polluted city in the United States to one of the cleanest. This
inspired a new community challenge, revitalizing a dying city.

In the early 80’s,
city officials established a goal that Chattanooga should become a leader in
developing solutions to urban problems. In 1982, City and County governments
appointed a task force to study and define the best way to develop the 22-mile
Tennessee River corridor around Chattanooga. Through this process thousands of
citizens attended hundreds of meetings to focus on the riverfront. The Task
Force drafted the Tennessee Riverfront Master Plan covered 20 years and
involved $750 million in commercial, residential and recreational development.

This led to
creation of the RiverCity Corporation, a private, nonprofit organization with a
mandate to implement the Riverfront Master Plan and 40 community development
goals. Among other achievements, it developed the Tennessee Aquarium, the
world’s largest freshwater aquarium, which opened in 1992. The structure has
become a trademark for the city that in 10 years transformed itself from a
dying city to one of growth and sustainable development. As a result of these
efforts, Chattanooga is now one of America's most livable cities.

The
report, Modernizing Public Transport (Hidalgo
and Carrigan 2010), summarizes information on Bus Rapid
Transit (BRT) systems, based on research and interviews with planners and
public officials in cities and transport agencies around the world. It reviews
and synthesizes information regarding challenges experienced by transport
system decision makers in three key areas: planning, implementation and
operations. In order to assist urban transport planners and implementing
agencies, the study also provides recommendations on avoiding or mitigating
similar difficulties when introducing bus reforms in developing world cities.

Light Rail Economic Benefits (Hass-Klau, Crampton and
Benjari, 2004)

The study, Economic
Impact of Light Rail, investigated the effect of trams and light rail on
travel patterns and economic activity in numerous European and North American
cities. It found that property values generally increase around rail transit
stations, as summarized in Table 3. It also found that rail systems tend to
increase downtown shopping visits and retail activity (several commercial areas
experienced 30-60% increases in visitors compared before and after light rail
lines opened); reduces per household car ownership rates (households within 300
meters of a rail transit station typically own 5-15% fewer vehicle than
regional averages); and results in more compact land use development patterns.
Many businesses prefer to locate near rail stations to improve access for
employees and customers; some employers say that employees who commute by rail
are more productive since they avoid the stress and uncertainty of driving on
congested roads. In the Strasbourg area, merchants previously opposed tram
development, citing the disruption it would cause, so the line bypasses their
downtown, which they now regret. This study concludes that urban rail can
provide substantial economic benefits with appropriate policies and support. It
emphasizes that rail transit alignments should be selected based on where the
maximum amount of ridership and economic development will occur, rather than to
minimize construction costs.

The report, Bus Karo 2.0 – Case Studies from India
by EMBARQ India
provides comprehensive guidance on all aspects of Bus
Rapid Transit (BRT) planning and operations, including real case studies from
various Indian cities to demonstrate the large efficiency gains and benefits
that BRT systems can provide.

The Bus Karo Programme works to improve
city bus service in Indian cities. The programme is designed to build capacity,
provide technical support and share best practices in the field of urban bus
transport in India. The initiative is a best-practice and peer-to-peer learning
network, where the implementation of pilot projects brings about significant
outcomes. The programme has three primary aspects:

• Mentoring Transit: Partnering with
public transport agencies through support from experts to aid the implementation
of pilot projects designed to enhance city bus services.

• Talking Transit: Organising
workshops and facilitating discussions in which public transport authorities
can gather to discuss strategies and hurdles to achieving sustainable
transport. This also provides an opportunity for peer-to-peer capacity
building.

• Learning Transit: Facilitating the
sharing of best practices through the documentation and distribution of
international and India-specific cases of city bus services.

The Bus Karo v2.0 Guidebook is part of
EMBARQ India’s efforts towards facilitating this peer-to-peer learning. It
provides an overview of the current state of affairs regarding the urban public
transport system in India.

Minneapolis’ New Light-Rail Train Shows What Can Be

MINNEAPOLIS - On Saturday, June 26, the quality of Andrew
Brantingham’s life took a sudden - and rather dramatic - turn for the better. On
that day, the first segment of Minneapolis’ long-awaited, much ballyhooed - and
still controversial - Hiawatha high-speed light-rail line opened.

For now, it
stretches from the funky Warehouse District in downtown Minneapolis to Fort Snelling, a historic site and state park in southeast Minneapolis. But in December, the
remainder of the 12-mile system will open, linking the downtown with Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport and the Mall of America in Bloomington.

And Brantingham,
23, is so ecstatic about the whole thing that he and his roommate threw a big
party June 26 at their southeast side apartment, which is just a half-mile walk
from the 46th Street station, one of 12 stops on the line.

A recent graduate
of Macalester College in St. Paul, Brantingham works as a legal assistant at a
downtown law firm, and before June 26 usually commuted by bus. And while he
didn’t particularly mind, he’s since discovered what tens of thousands of other
Minneapolis residents have: that, if anything, light-rail advocates - including
former Gov. Jesse Ventura, who jump-started the project in the late 1990s - had
understated what a pleasant, stress-free experience high-speed rail can be.

“It’s certainly
more reliable than the bus,” Brantingham said one night last week over a beer
at the Cardinal Bar (Minneapolis has one too), just a few blocks from his
apartment. “It’s also faster, cleaner, quieter. And, to be honest, just a whole
lot cooler.”

As for the critics
- most notably Republican state Rep. Phil Krinkie of suburban Shoreview - who
still argue that the $715 million Hiawatha project was a shameful waste of
taxpayer money, Brantingham shakes his head and sighs. While he may not be an
expert on mass transit, Brantingham says, he has ridden the subway in London and the El in Chicago. And with freeways as congested as they are, only a fool
would oppose investing in some sort of rail system, he maintains.

“I don’t care if it’s Minneapolis or Madison, Wisconsin, or any other fast-
growing metropolitan area,” he says. “If you want to take your city to the next
level, you need first-rate mass transit.”

In Minneapolis,
which has a population of 375,000, “People need to see this as a necessary
first step to a larger rail network,” says Brantingham, noting that - despite
intense opposition from conservative legislators and the Minnesota Taxpayers
Alliance - rail advocates now want to pursue several other lines: a
Minneapolis-to-St. Paul line that would run through the University of Minnesota
campus; a Northstar commuter rail line to Anoka and Sherburne Counties that
would use heavier diesel cars; and possibly a third line to Minneapolis’
burgeoning southwest suburbs.

“I mean, people in
other areas of the city are saying, ‘Hey, what good does the Hiawatha do me?’ I
understand that. But this is just the beginning of what could be a really great
rail system. So it’s going to take 10 to 15 years before it’s helpful to
everyone.”

However one perceives
it, there seems no denying that many locals share Brantingham’s enthusiasm for
the sleek, wide-window trains, which run every 7 minutes during rush hour,
cruise along at 40 mph once they leave downtown and cost the same as the bus -
$1.75 during rush hour, $1.25 all other times.

Indeed, the
Hiawatha has been attracting 15,000 riders per day – nearly double the rosiest
projections - since its unveiling June 26. It’s been especially popular with
Minnesota Twins fans, who zip to the game in air- conditioned comfort, no
longer have to shell out $8 for parking and are deposited right in front of the
Metrodome.

But the biggest
surprise, observers say, is that it’s drawing hordes of young suburbanites who
are dropping off their cars at one of two park-and-ride sites along the route
and taking the Hiawatha to downtown bars on weekend nights. (The trains run
until 1 a.m.)

Of course, “this
is just the initial startup phase, so we’re not sure how much of that is
novelty and how much we’ll be able to sustain over an extended period of time,”
cautions Metro Council Chair Peter Bell.

“But it should be
quickly noted,” he says, “that the other two major portions of the line - the
Mall of America and the airport - have not yet been added. And I think that
will provide a significant additional boost to ridership.”

Just as important,
he says, the project was completed on time, despite a 44-day transit strike,
and under budget. (The estimated annual operating costs are $16 million,
one-third of which will be paid by the state, one-third by Hennepin County and one-third by Hiawatha fare revenues.)

Yes, Bell says, there are still problems with traffic tie-ups at certain intersections, where
rush-hour traffic was backed up for several blocks shortly after the Hiawatha opened.

“But all in all, I
think this is a model opening. It’s hard to have a $715 million project without
a few complications. And the signaling snafus and some of the traffic tie-ups
we’ve had are part of it.”

So who are these
people riding the Hiawatha? Judging from a random survey of about a dozen
riders one morning last week, they represent a surprisingly wide and diverse
spectrum of Twin Cities residents.

To be sure, many
are white-collar commuters like Nathan Van Engen, 29, a resident of suburban Hastings,
who parks his car at Fort Snelling and takes the Hiawatha to his job at U.S.
Bank in the Pillsbury Center, where he’s an underwriter.

“It really doesn’t
save me that much time, but it sure reduces the stress and any concerns about
parking,” he says. “Once you get inside the 694- 494 loop of the interstate,
traffic is just a nightmare.”

But there are also
college students and shoppers and tourists, and a fair number of senior
citizens, such as Sarah Standefer, 64, a nurse who last week was taking the
Hiawatha for the first time with her 11-year-old grandson, Michael Casello, A
“huge supporter” of mass transit, Standefer says the Hiawatha’s high ridership
numbers merely confirm what she’s felt all along: If you’re willing to invest
in quality mass transit, people will use it.

“I mean, look at New York City or anywhere else where there’s mass transit,” she says. “People ride it in
droves, not only because it’s convenient but because - well, I just think
there’s something about being with people that gives you a lift. You’re not
isolated like you are in a car.”

And statistics
recently cited by the Minneapolis Star-Tribune appear to support that view.
Although rail systems in San Jose, Calif., and central New Jersey are
struggling, no less than nine cities - ranging in size from Houston (population
2 million) to Salt Lake City (181,000) - are in the process of expanding their
rail lines. And a half-dozen other cities are about to join the club.

So much for the
oft-stated notion that mass transit will never catch on in this country because
Americans are hopelessly in love with their automobiles, Standefer says. “I
mean, that’s the car lobby talking, isn’t it?” she says. “As far as I’m
concerned, passenger rail makes sense today, and it made sense 30 years ago.”

John Derus can’t
help but chuckle when he hears such remarks. Ah, but if only people had
listened 30 years ago, muses Derus, a former Minneapolis City Council member
and Hennepin County commissioner who back in 1970s and ‘80s fought a lonely and
seemingly futile battle to get the city to consider some form of rail. “Sure
would have been a lot cheaper back then,” says Derus during a late-afternoon
interview at the Nicollet Island Inn on the banks of the Mississippi.

A proud and
disarmingly candid man, Derus, now 64, dropped out of politics years ago and
runs a public relations firm. But - much to his own surprise - he’s now being
heralded as one of unsung heroes of the Hiawatha success story. Not only
because he refused to let the idea die, but because people remember all the
scorn and ridicule he endured while pushing for a rail system at a time when
many cities were dismantling their rail lines.

The Star-Tribune,
he notes, “ran about 15 or 20 cartoons poking fun at me - I’ve still got most
of ‘em.” And the (St. Paul) Pioneer Press, he adds, was almost as brutal. “The
general feeling, I think, was that I was too big for my britches - that I was
reaching too far and should get back in my box. And it wasn’t just the papers
who felt that way. We were fighting the state Legislature, the federal
government, practically every county in the state and the Mormon Tabernacle
Choir, for gosh sakes,” he says.

Actually, Derus
and a small group of Democratic supporters originally favored a subway linking Minneapolis and St. Paul - in large part, he says, because the layers of glacial drift,
limestone and sandstone under Minneapolis “provide some of the best and
cheapest tunneling conditions in North America.”

To be honest, he
figured the idea was so bold and innovative that it couldn’t help but boost his
political career, Derus says. “That’s the self-serving reason I pushed it. The
altruistic reason was that I just thought, why not? Why shouldn’t we do this
just because nobody else will?

“I could see that
we were choking to death on our own success around here. There wasn’t any more
money for freeways, which become obsolete the moment you build them. And even
if you wanted to build them, they’d eat up all the farm land.

“Plus, we had an
aging population, a lot of poverty and people with handicaps who don’t drive
cars. We had all kinds of reasons why people need good, dependable mass transit
- including, incidentally, the worst temperature swings in North America.”

Nonetheless, the
critics howled. And they continued to howl until the 1990s when public
attitudes about rail gradually started to shift. What caused it?

Certainly Ventura played a prominent role, says Derus, who speaks to civic groups across the country
about the merits of passenger rail. Beyond that, Derus suspects that even the
critics got fed up sitting in massive traffic jams and realized something had
to be done to ease the congestion.

Asked if he
thought a light rail or trolley system would be feasible in a city like Madison, with a population of 220,000, Derus says, “Sure, it could.”

“I’m not
anti-car,” he says, “but the better question, I think, is can Madison justify
building another freeway? I’ve been to Madison, it’s a beautiful city. And the
last thing you want is to pave over the whole place. “I mean, one of the
benefits of light rail is you’ve got a fare box on the thing. And it would
probably pay for about 40 percent of your maintenance costs.”

Derus says one of
the great ironies of the Hiawatha story is that some of his most vociferous
critics are now among the rail line’s biggest cheerleaders. That includes Curt
Johnson, a former Metro Council chair who heads the Itasca Group, a business
organization that’s pushing for rail expansion. And, believe it or not, even
the Star-Tribune.

Yes, it’s true,
says Steve Berg, a Star-Tribune editorial writer. The paper now believes, in
retrospect, that the Hiawatha was a wonderful idea. But one line, he
emphasizes, “doesn’t make a system. And until there’s an interconnected
rail-bus network, you won’t notice much change in traffic.”

Even so, “the
thing we’ve got to keep in mind is that by 2025, there will be a million more
people (in Minneapolis) and almost a million more cars on our roadways,” Berg
says. “Where are we going to put these cars? The only way to solve this ... is
with wider roads and more choices, like transit.”

Peter Bell, the
Metro Council chair, expresses similar sentiments. “I don’t think light rail’s
a panacea in any sense,” he says. “But, you know, people want to divide the
world into, are you a roads guy or are you a transit guy? And the fact of the
matter is, I personally am both.

“In this region,
traffic congestion is growing very, very fast. I think it’s the

No. 1 livability
issue in the seven-county metro area. And I think that expanding our transit
system is one piece of the puzzle.”

Clearly, not
everyone agrees. Republican Rep. Phil Krinkie says he not only isn’t impressed
with the Hiawatha but is amazed that people are actually falling for the
“pro-rail propaganda.”

“First and
foremost, I’ve never seen, nor heard, nor read of anyone who can document that
public transit reduces congestion,” he says. “Like Alka-Seltzer, it may offer
some temporary relief but it is not a solution.

“In fact, what
we’ve already seen in its first month of operation is that the Hiawatha has
actually caused congestion,” adds Krinkie, who last month charged that state
and city officials had concealed e-mails and other correspondence that
expressed concerns about the Hiawatha causing traffic delays on cross streets.

The other thing
people need to remember, Krinkie says, is that rail systems “always have huge
capital costs. So for people to purport that rail is a better method of moving
people than buses or additional freeway lanes is just ridiculous.”

Bell, for one, says he welcomes such
criticisms. “Frankly, when you’re going to spend $715 million you should argue
over it,” he says. “However, at the end of the day you’ve got to come down on
one side or the other. And I am a transit supporter.”

Derus concedes
that Krinkie and his anti-rail cohorts have played a meaningful role in the
debate. But he also believes that the momentum is definitely on the side of
rail advocates now.

Indeed, whereas Bell refuses to predict what will happen next, Derus says he has absolutely no doubts that
the Northstar line will become a reality within two or three years. “Now,
people will say I’m nuts, but I’m telling you it’s going to happen,” he says.
And the reason it’s going to happen, he says, is because even many skeptics are
being won over by the Hiawatha.

Toni Borwege, 61,
a retired Lutheran lay pastor from suburban Burnsville, admits having been one
of those skeptics. “I used to think the Hiawatha was absolute folly,” she says.
“Why would a city put up that kind of money for an experiment?” But as she rode
the Hiawatha last week with mouth agape, Borwege said she realized how wrong
she was.

“It may be an
experiment,” she said, gazing out at the Minneapolis skyline, “but it’s
obviously going to be a successful one. I mean, it’s so easy, why would you use
your car to go downtown anymore - especially with parking as crazy as it is?

In 1997 and 1998
the San Mateo County Transit District and the Utah Transit Authority teamed up
to offer an innovative and highly successful program to encourage young people
to ride public transit. The program is called the Summer Youth Pass. Purchase
of the pass gives people under 17 unlimited access to buses (as well as light
rail in 1999) throughout San Mateo County in California and along an 80-mile
corridor in Utah from June through August. Passes cost $25 each and are
designed to look like a “dog tag”. In Utah, they receive a $5 discount if they
purchase a pass with one or more friends through the Buddy Plan. In both states
youth also receive coupons good for discounts or free products at local
merchants. SamTrans fitted all 317 SamTrans buses with bike racks which hold
two bicycles each. An additional two bikes are allowed inside the bus. Through
connections to Caltrain and BART, SamTrans also encourages and supports multimodal
travel.

In 1998, SamTrans
sold 3,614 Summer Youth Passes. Passholders use their pass an average of 30
times per summer, resulting in substantial reductions in energy use and air
pollution compared with automobile trips. The pass provides highly valued
independence for teens, while at the same time reassuring parents as it gives
teens access to a wide range of activities during the day when parents are
generally unavailable to provide transportation.

Commuter Check is
a transit fare savings program that operates through employers. Commuter Checks
are purchased by employers as either a company-paid benefit or by using pre-tax
employee paid contributions. The Bay Area Commuter Check program began in 1991.
The program was expanding by approximately 35% a year, and since the pre-tax
employee-paid option became available in June 1998, the rate of growth has
exceeded 100%. More than 2000 employers had participated by August 1999. In
1999, it is projected that over $15 million in Bay Area Commuter Checks will be
sold, with over 35,000 employees now participating. Surveys indicate
significant user appreciation of this service, and that it increases transit
use.

International Union of Public Transport (www.uitp.com) is an
international organization that supports public transit.

This Encyclopedia is
produced by the Victoria Transport Policy Institute to help improve
understanding of Transportation Demand Management. It is an ongoing project.
Please send us your comments and suggestions for improvement.